APC congratulates Buhari, commends Jonathan, Nigerians

The All Progressives Congress has congratulated Gen. Muhammadu

Buhari for his historic victory in Saturday’s Presidential election,

while thanking Nigerians for voting massively for the party to bring

in a new dawn after a long dark night.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity

Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Gen. Buhari’s victory

will make Nigeria work again, rekindle hope and bring succour to the

long suffering people of the country.

”Nigerians have used their votes to bring change. We hear their

message loud and clear: They want a government that works, and will

not hesitate to use the same votes to kick out any government that

fails to deliver,” it said.

APC also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the rare

sportsmanship he exhibited by conceding defeat and congratulating Gen.

Buhari, even before INEC formally declared him as the winner.

The party said by that singular act, which went a long way in dousing

post-election tension, the President has snatched victory from the

jaws of defeat, written his name in gold in the annals of Nigeria’s

history and catapulted himself to a statesman.

APC said it is time for all Nigerians, irrespective of their political

leaning, to put the acrimonious electioneering campaign behind them

and to forge a united front to tackle the enormous challenges facing

the nation.

”The APC-led Federal Government will work for all Nigerians, whether

or not they voted for us in the elections, or did not even vote at

all,” the party assured.

”Our party will not discriminate against

any Nigerian on the basis of religion, region, ethnicity or gender. We

are all God’s own people.”

APC said it will also appreciate a virile opposition, because it is

indispensable in any democracy that is worthy of that nomenclature.

”Having been in opposition ourselves, we know what it means to keep

the government of the day on its toes with very robust and

constructive criticism, and we expect no less from those who have

swapped places with us,” the party said.

It commended the media for staying true to its constitutional watchdog

role, saying without the support of this Fourth Estate of the Realm,

Nigeria may neither have enjoyed democracy nor sustained it.

APC thanked ECOWAS, the African Union, the EU, the UN and the entire

international community for their support for the country’s

democratisation process, describing as invaluable their role in the

success of the ongoing political transition.